Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada has blessed Mankind with Vivekachudamani:
1. I bow to Govinda, whose nature is Bliss Supreme, who is
the Sadguru, who can be known only from the import of all Vedanta, and who is
beyond the reach of speech and mind.
2. For all beings a human birth is difficult to obtain, more
so is a male body; rarer than that is Brahmanahood; rarer still is the
attachment to the path of Vedic religion; higher than this is erudition in the
scriptures; discrimination between the Self and not-Self, Realisation, and
continuing in a state of identity with Brahman – these come next in order.
(This kind of) Mukti (Liberation) is not to be attained except through the
well-earned merits of a hundred crore of births.
3. These are three things which are rare indeed and are due
to the grace of God – namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and
the protecting care of a perfected sage.
4. The man who, having by some means obtained a human birth,
with a male body and mastery of the Vedas to boot, is foolish enough not to
exert himself for self-liberation, verily commits suicide, for he kills himself
by clinging to things unreal.
5. What greater fool is there than the man who having
obtained a rare human body, and a masculine body too, neglects to achieve the
real end of this life ?
6. Let people quote the Scriptures and sacrifice to the
gods, let them perform rituals and worship the deities, but there is no
Liberation without the realisation of one’s identity with the Atman, no, not
even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas put together.
7. There is no hope of immortality by means of riches – such
indeed is the declaration of the Vedas. Hence it is clear that works cannot be
the cause of Liberation.
8. Therefore the man of learning should strive his best for
Liberation, having renounced his desire for pleasures from external objects,
duly approaching a good and generous preceptor, and fixing his mind on the
truth inculcated by him.
9. Having attained the Yogarudha state, one should recover
oneself, immersed in the sea of birth and death by means of devotion to right
discrimination.
10. Let the wise and erudite man, having commenced the
practice of the realisation of the Atman give up all works and try to cut loose
the bonds of birth and death.
11. Work leads to purification of the mind, not to
perception of the Reality. The realisation of Truth is brought about by
discrimination and not in the least by ten million of acts.
12. By adequate reasoning the conviction of the reality
about the rope is gained, which puts an end to the great fear and misery caused
by the snake worked up in the deluded mind.
13. The conviction of the Truth is seen to proceed from
reasoning upon the salutary counsel of the wise, and not by bathing in the
sacred waters, nor by gifts, nor by a hundred Pranayamas (control of the vital
force).
14. Success depends essentially on a qualified aspirant;
time, place and other such means are but auxiliaries in this regard.
15. Hence the seeker after the Reality of the Atman should
take to reasoning, after duly approaching the Guru – who should be the best of
the knowers of Brahman, and an ocean of mercy.
16. An intelligent and learned man skilled in arguing in
favour of the Scriptures and in refuting counter-arguments against them – one
who has got the above characteristics is the fit recipient of the knowledge of
the Atman.
17. The man who discriminates between the Real and the
unreal, whose mind is turned away from the unreal, who possesses calmness and
the allied virtues, and who is longing for Liberation, is alone considered
qualified to enquire after Brahman.
18. Regarding this, sages have spoken of four means of
attainment, which alone being present, the devotion to Brahman succeeds, and in
the absence of which, it fails.
19. First is enumerated discrimination between the Real and
the unreal; next comes aversion to the enjoyment of fruits (of one’s actions)
here and hereafter; (next is) the group of six attributes, viz. calmness and
the rest; and (last) is clearly the yearning for Liberation.
20. A firm conviction of the mind to the effect that Brahman
is real and the universe unreal, is designated as discrimination (Viveka)
between the Real and the unreal.
21. Vairagya or renunciation is the desire to give up all
transitory enjoyments (ranging) from those of an (animate) body to those of
Brahmahood (having already known their defects) from observation, instruction
and so forth.
22. The resting of the mind steadfastly on its Goal (viz.
Brahman) after having detached itself from manifold sense-objects by
continually observing their defects, is called Shama or calmness.
23. Turning both kinds of sense-organs away from
sense-objects and placing them in their respective centres, is called Dama or
self-control. The best Uparati or self-withdrawal consists in the mind-function
ceasing to be affected by external objects.
24. The bearing of all afflictions without caring to redress
them, being free (at the same time) from anxiety or lament on their score, is
called Titiksha or forbearance.
25. Acceptance by firm judgment as true of what the
Scriptures and the Guru instruct, is called by sages Shraddha or faith, by
means of which the Reality is perceived.
26. Not the mere indulgence of thought (in curiosity) but
the constant concentration of the intellect (or the affirming faculty) on the
ever-pure Brahman, is what is called Samadhana or self-settledness.
27. Mumukshuta or yearning for Freedom is the desire to free
oneself, by realising one’s true nature, from all bondages from that of egoism
to that of the body – bondages superimposed by Ignorance.
28. Even though torpid or mediocre, this yearning for Freedom,
through the grace of the Guru, may bear fruit (being developed) by means of
Vairagya (renunciation), Shama (calmness), and so on.
29. In his case, verily, whose renunciation and yearning for
Freedom are intense, calmness and the other practices have (really) their
meaning and bear fruit.
30. Where (however) this renunciation and yearning for
Freedom are torpid, there calmness and the other practices are as mere
appearances, like water in a desert.
31. Among things conducive to Liberation, devotion (Bhakti)
holds the supreme place. The seeking after one’s real nature is designated as
devotion.
32. Others maintain that the inquiry into the truth of one’s
own self is devotion. The inquirer about the truth of the Atman who is
possessed of the above-mentioned means of attainment should approach a wise
preceptor, who confers emancipation from bondage.
33. Who is versed in the Vedas, sinless, unsmitten by desire
and a knower of Brahman par excellence, who has withdrawn himself into Brahman;
who is calm, like fire that has consumed its fuel, who is a boundless reservoir
of mercy that knows no reason, and a friend of all good people who prostrate
themselves before him.
34. Worshipping that Guru with devotion, and approaching
him, when he is pleased with prostration, humility and service, (he) should ask
him what he has got to know:
35. O Master, O friend of those that bow to thee, thou ocean
of mercy, I bow to thee; save me, fallen as I am into this sea of birth and
death, with a straightforward glance of thine eye, which sheds nectar-like
grace supreme.
36. Save me from death, afflicted as I am by the
unquenchable fire of this world-forest, and shaken violently by the winds of an
untoward lot, terrified and (so) seeking refuge in thee, for I do not know of
any other man with whom to seek shelter.
37. There are good souls, calm and magnanimous, who do good
to others as does the spring, and who, having themselves crossed this dreadful
ocean of birth and death, help others also to cross the same, without any
motive whatsoever.
38. It is the very nature of the magnanimous to move of
their own accord towards removing others’ troubles. Here, for instance, is the
moon who, as everybody knows, voluntarily saves the earth parched by the
flaming rays of the sun.
39. O Lord, with thy nectar-like speech, sweetened by the
enjoyment of the elixir-like bliss of Brahman, pure, cooling to a degree,
issuing in streams from thy lips as from a pitcher, and delightful to the ear –
do thou sprinkle me who am tormented by worldly afflictions as by the tongues
of a forest-fire. Blessed are those on whom even a passing glance of thy eye
lights, accepting them as thine own.
40. How to cross this ocean of phenomenal existence, what is
to be my fate, and which of the means should I adopt – as to these I know
nothing. Condescend to save me, O Lord, and describe at length how to put an
end to the misery of this relative existence.
41. As he speaks thus, tormented by the afflictions of the
world – which is like a forest on fire – and seeking his protection, the saint
eyes him with a glance softened with pity and spontaneously bids him give up
all fear.
42. To him who has sought his protection, thirsting for
Liberation, who duly obeys the injunctions of the Scriptures, who is of a
serene mind, and endowed with calmness – (to such a one) the sage proceeds to
inculcate the truth out of sheer grace.
43. Fear not, O learned one, there is no death for thee;
there is a means of crossing this sea of relative existence; that very way by
which sages have gone beyond it, I shall inculcate to thee.
44. There is a sovereign means which puts an end to the fear
of relative existence; through that thou wilt cross the sea of Samsara and
attain the supreme bliss.
45. Reasoning on the meaning of the Vedanta leads to
efficient knowledge, which is immediately followed by the total annihilation of
the misery born of relative existence.
46. Faith (Shraddha), devotion and the Yoga of meditation –
these are mentioned by the Shruti as the immediate factors of Liberation in the
case of a seeker; whoever abides in these gets Liberation from the bondage of
the body, which is the conjuring of Ignorance.
47. It is verily through the touch of Ignorance that thou
who art the Supreme Self findest thyself under the bondage of the non-Self,
whence alone proceeds the round of births and deaths. The fire of knowledge,
kindled by the discrimination between these two, burns up the effects of
Ignorance together with their root.
48. Condescend to listen, O Master, to the question I am
putting (to thee). I shall be gratified to hear a reply to the same from thy
lips.
49. What is bondage, forsooth ? How has it come (upon the
Self) ? How does it continue to exist ? How is one freed from it ? What is this
non-Self ? And who is the Supreme Self ? And how can one discriminate between
them ? -- Do tell me about all these.
50. The Guru replied: Blessed art thou ! Thou hast achieved
thy life’s end and hast sanctified thy family, that thou wishest to attain
Brahmanhood by getting free from the bondage of Ignorance !
51. A father has got his sons and others to free him from
his debts, but he has got none but himself to remove his bondage.
52. Trouble such as that caused by a load on the head can be
removed by others, but none but one’s own self can put a stop to the pain which
is caused by hunger and the like.
53. The patient who takes (the proper) diet and medicine is
alone seen to recover completely – not through work done by others.
54. The true nature of things is to be known personally,
through the eye of clear illumination, and not through a sage: what the moon
exactly is, is to be known with one’s own eyes; can others make him know it ?
55. Who but one’s own self can get rid of the bondage caused
by the fetters of Ignorance, desire, action and the like, aye even in a hundred
crore of cycles ?
56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by
learning, but by the realisation of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation
possible, and by no other means.
57. The beauty of a guitar’s form and the skill of playing
on its chords serve merely to please a few persons; they do not suffice to
confer sovereignty.
58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill
in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a
little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the
highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has
already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense
forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should
earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance,
the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and
(other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one ?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the
name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation
one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and
without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the
mere utterance of the word Brahman ? -- It would result merely in an effort of
speech.
64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of
the splendour of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an
emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its
extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other
such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being
(merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is
hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a
knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not
through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and
the like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the
bondage of repeated births and deaths.
67. The question that thou hast asked today is excellent,
approved by those versed in the Scriptures, aphoristic, pregnant with meaning
and fit to be known by the seekers after Liberation.
68. Listen attentively, O learned one, to what I am going to
say. By listening to it thou shalt be instantly free from the bondage of
Samsara.
69. The first step to Liberation is the extreme aversion to
all perishable things, then follow calmness, self-control, forbearance, and the
utter relinquishment of all work enjoined in the Scriptures.
70. Then come hearing, reflection on that, and long,
constant and unbroken meditation on the Truth for the Muni. After that the
learned seeker attains the supreme Nirvikalpa state and realises the bliss of
Nirvana even in this life.
71. Now I am going to tell thee fully about what thou
oughtst to know – the discrimination between the Self and the non-Self. Listen
to it and decide about it in thy mind.
72. Composed of the seven ingredients, viz. marrow, bones,
fat, flesh, blood, skin and cuticle, and consisting of the following limbs and
their parts – legs, thighs, the chest, arms, the back and the head:
73. This body, reputed to be the abode of the delusion of ‘I
and mine’, is designated by sages as the gross body. The sky, air, fire, water
and earth are subtle elements. They –
74. Being united with parts of one another and becoming
gross, (they) form the gross body. And their subtle essences form sense-objects
– the group of five such as sound, which conduce to the happiness of the
experiencer, the individual soul.
75. Those fools who are tied to these sense-objects by the
stout cord of attachment, so very difficult to snap, come and depart, up and
down, carried amain by the powerful emissary of their past action.
76. The deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the
black-bee – these five have died, being tied to one or other of the five
senses, viz. sound etc., through their own attachment. What then is in store
for man who is attached to all these five.
77. Sense-objects are even more virulent in their evil
effects than the poison of the cobra. Poison kills one who takes it, but those
others kill one who even looks at them through the eyes.
78. He who is free from the terrible snare of the hankering
after sense-objects, so very difficult to get rid of, is alone fit for Liberation,
and none else – even though he be versed in all the six Shastras.
79. The shark of hankering catches by the throat those
seekers after Liberation who have got only an apparent dispassion (Vairagya)
and are trying to cross the ocean of samsara (relative existence), and
violently snatching them away, drowns them half-way.
80. He who has killed the shark known as sense-object with
the sword of mature dispassion, crosses the ocean of Samsara, free from all
obstacles.
81. Know that death quickly overtakes the stupid man who
walks along the dreadful ways of sense-pleasure; whereas one who walks in
accordance with the instructions of a well-wishing and worthy Guru, as also
with his own reasoning, achieves his end – know this to be true.
82. If indeed thou hast a craving for Liberation, shun
sense-objects from a good distance as thou wouldst do poison, and always
cultivate carefully the nectar-like virtues of contentment, compassion,
forgiveness, straight-forwardness, calmness and self-control.
83. Whoever leaves aside what should always be attempted,
viz. emancipation from the bondage of Ignorance without beginning, and
passionately seeks to nourish this body, which is an object for others to
enjoy, commits suicide thereby.
84. Whoever seeks to realise the Self by devoting himself to
the nourishment of the body, proceeds to cross a river by catching hold of a
crocodile, mistaking it for a log.
85. So for a seeker after Liberation the infatuation over
things like the body is a dire death. He who has thoroughly conquered this
deserves the state of Freedom.
86. Conquer the dire death of infatuation over thy body,
wife, children etc., -- conquering which the sages reach that Supreme State of
Vishnu.
87. This gross body is to be deprecated, for it consists of
the skin, flesh, blood, arteries and veins, fat, marrow and bones, and is full
of other offensive things.
88. The gross body is produced by one’s past actions out of
the gross elements formed by the union of the subtle elements with each other,
and is the medium of experience for the soul. That is its waking state in which
it perceives gross objects.
89. Identifying itself with this form, the individual soul,
though separate, enjoys gross objects, such as garlands and sandal-paste, by
means of the external organs. Hence this body has its fullest play in the
waking state.
90. Know this gross body to be like a house to the
householder, on which rests man’s entire dealing with the external world.
91. Birth, decay and death are the various characteristics
of the gross body, as also stoutness etc., childhood etc., are its different
conditions; it has got various restrictions regarding castes and orders of
life; it is subject to various diseases, and meets with different kinds of
treatment, such as worship, insult and high honours.
92. The ears, skin, eyes, nose and tongue are organs of
knowledge, for they help us to cognise objects; the vocal organs, hands, legs,
etc., are organs of action, owing to their tendency to work.
93-94. The inner organ (Antahkarana) is called Manas,
Buddhi, ego or Chitta, according to their respective functions: Manas, from its
considering the pros and cons of a thing; Buddhi, from its property of
determining the truth of objects; the ego, from its identification with this
body as one’s own self; and Chitta, from its function of remembering things it
is interested in.
95. One and the same Prana (vital force) becomes Prana,
Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana according to their diversity of functions and
modifications, like gold, water, etc.
96. The five organs of action such as speech, the five
organs of knowledge such as the ear, the group of five Pranas, the five
elements ending with the ether, together with Buddhi and the rest as also
Nescience, desire and action – these eight "cities" make up what is
called the subtle body.
97. Listen – this subtle body, called also the Linga body,
is produced out of the elements before their subdividing and combining with
each other, is possessed of latent impressions and causes the soul to
experience the fruits of its past actions. It is a beginningless
superimposition on the soul brought on by its own ignorance.
98-99. Dream is a state of the soul distinct from the waking
state, where it shines by itself. In dreams Buddhi, by itself, takes on the
role of the agent and the like, owing to various latent impressions of the
waking state, while the supreme Atman shines in Its own glory – with Buddhi as
Its only superimposition, the witness of everything, and is not touched by the
least work that Buddhi does. As It is wholly unattached, It is not touched by
any work that Its superimpositions may perform.
100. This subtle body is the instrument for all activities
of the Atman, who is Knowledge Absolute, like the adze and other tools of a
carpenter. Therefore this Atman is perfectly unattached.
- Translated by Swami Madhavananda